The Training Course & Devilling

Further information on the training (known as pupillage, or ‘devilling’) provided by the Faculty of Advocates.

Pupillage (which is traditionally called ‘devilling’) is a mixture of advocacy skills courses, and time spent with a practising Advocate (known as a “devilmaster”).

Devilling begins with the Foundation Course, which is an intensive advocacy skills course lasting around five weeks, in which devils participate in workshops and seminars designed to develop their oral and written advocacy skills. There are further compulsory skills courses (each of around two weeks’ duration) in January, and in May.

Each devil has a principal devilmaster who is a practising Advocate of at least seven years standing, with a primarily civil practice. A devil will also spend time with at least one other devilmaster who practises in the criminal courts. QCs do not take devils.

The sole purpose of devilling is training and preparing the devil for practice.

The Faculty does not charge for the training which it provides to devils. Scholarships are available. The Guidance Notes on the Faculty’s Scholarships may be found here.